Real cures for erratic behavior Zumo 660

[sussamb]

@sussamb was there supposed to be a link above? Where you have put here?

No. HERE is the name of the company

[danham]

I've owned and tested/reviewed various Garmin models over the years and some are more prone to these errors than others. My zumo 660 is in the "more" category.

I can't fully verify this answer, but both 1 and 2 can be caused by poor satellite reception. I've had my GPS at times swear on a stack of user manuals that I was on a road parallel to the highway I was actually on. I've had it mistake a highway interchange for going off route. In a few of these cases I was able to verify that sat reception and DOP (Dilution Of Precision) were not optimal. But in many other cases it was not possible to stop and fool around with the GPS.

I know this answer does not provide any workarounds or fixes, but if I'm right, there aren't any. ;-(

-dan

[Les]

I stopped running my 660 in 'Motorcycle' mode years ago, it caused more headaches with it's weird diversions than I can remember.

[advnzer]

this is as likely map errors as the device.Are you using the latest maps and the most up to date software?

[rbentnail]

I stopped running my 660 in 'Motorcycle' mode years ago, it caused more headaches with it's weird diversions than I can remember.

Ditto with the 595. Many of my routing problems went away when I stopped running in the Motorcycling mode.

[Wingstyle]

Ditto with the 595. Many of my routing problems went away when I stopped running in the Motorcycling mode.

I also stopped running in motorcycle mode and it helped with routing problems. I thought I put this in my first post, but I was rambling so much I must have forgotten

[menhir]

Hmmmm. It seems the best solution so far then, is not to run in motorcycle road.

I considered this on one of my previous trips this year but since the device kept prompting me to return to motorcycle mode I really never gave it a try.

I have a potential trip coming up , the first day of which would mimic a trip I took earlier this year where I experienced a couple of these inane "side trips." If I make the trip, I'll switch to automobile mode and see if the routing problems disappear.

I've never fully been able to find a clear explanation regarding what the difference is between motorcycle and auto mode is anyway.

Is there a way to get the device to default to automobile mode when it's mounted on a motorcycle, or do I have to do this every time I attach the device or turn it on?

[carolinarider09]

If you mount your GPS in the car mount and energize it, it will ask you if you want to switch to the CAR mode. If you say yes, it will stay in that mode when in the car mount.

But when you next moon the GPS in the motorcycle mount it will ask you if you want to change to the Motorcycle mode. If you say No (forget with the actual options are) it will stay in the Car mode on the motorcycle mount. But each time you power it up in the motorcycle mount it will ask the same question. There might be a delay in that if you don't respond to the message it will default to the mode it was already in. However, I have not tested it in the last few days.

The only other thing I remember that is different in the motorcade mode is the per tank option does not work. That is, if you has set a given miles per tank in the motorcycle mode and a warning mileage, these will not give you a warning in the Car mode.

There may be other differences but the manual should tell you those differences.

[menhir]

If you mount your GPS in the car mount and energize it, it will ask you if you want to switch to the CAR mode. If you say yes, it will stay in that mode when in the car mount.
...But each time you power it up in the motorcycle mount it will ask the same question...

That describes the behavior I experienced...I haven't found any way to just set the mode to car and get the device to leave it at that without constant prompts.

The only other thing I remember that is different in the motorcade mode is the per tank option does not work. That is, if you has set a given miles per tank in the motorcycle mode and a warning mileage, these will not give you a warning in the Car mode.

I recall getting a warning that some features are not enabled in automobile mode. The low fuel warning was one. I don't know if there are any others.
This isn't an issue for me since I never used that feature, but I'm curious if there are any other differences.

There may be other differences but the manual should tell you those differences.

One would think that.
My manual just mentions the different modes, but doesn't offer anything in the way of specific information.
Not much in the way of answers on the web either.

Well, it's the same company who spent all that time developing basecamp while neglecting to write a tutorial so, no big surprise there.

At this point, I'm happy enough to know that most of my issues may be solved simply by using car mode, even if I have to put up with the nagging prompts.

[dave726]

I stopped running my 660 in 'Motorcycle' mode years ago, it caused more headaches with it's weird diversions than I can remember.

I find that hard to believe. I've always left my Z665 in default motorcycle mode. I also always use fastest time, not shortest route, both in MapSource and in the Zumo. There are very rare occasions where the GPS has had me exit and reenter a limited access road, but I don't remember the last time that happened, maybe early in the 665 versions when Garmin was still supporting the 66x firmware.

I don't trust BaseCamp. 10 pounds of code in a 5 pound sack; something's bound to go bonkers.